That was the overall message that ten of our cycling tour students heard on Sunday, March 25th at Sun Multisport’s Annual Race Mania Summit and Expo in Boston, MA.

Bringing our students to this event was to get them in the mindset of an endurance athlete so that they can begin to view themselves as part of this extraordinary and inspiring community.

The other big thread among the seminars we attended was mental toughness. Former Navy Seal James Olson shared how he developed mental toughness through Seal training, “we all have mental toughness, but have to constantly work on it…move through the pain, don’t accept it.”

My favorite quote from paratriathlete and marathoner John Young was, “pain is inevitable and suffering is a choice. You have to want to do it and you will figure out a way.” John Young was the first ever person with dwarfism to complete an Ironman triathlon in addition to being a three time finisher of the Boston Marathon.

Ironman Triathlon World Champion Karen Smyers shared that you have to “learn how to get your mind to work for you and that setbacks have silver linings.” Her big setbacks included getting hit by an 18-wheeler while riding her bike and receiving a cancer diagnosis. She survived both and is still racing, coaching, and living life to the fullest.

“Show up every day to your life” was my other favorite quote of the day courtesy of Meredith Atwood, 4x Ironman triathlete, podcaster, and writer. This makes total sense but we don’t do it for a variety of reasons which ultimately holds us back from achieving what we want to achieve.

We are looking forward to seeing how these important nuggets of wisdom from fellow endurance athletes will shape our thinking as we work towards our huge goal of cycling to Quebec City and back.

Heard in the car on the drive home, “I think I want to do a triathlon.”

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Spring is almost here and our cycling tour students are excited about finalizing the tour route and getting out on the road. Of course two nor’ easters in the past two weeks isn’t helping any. Hopefully, the snow will melt soon. We’ve spent the winter doing team building exercises and learning more about how global social, political, and economic systems are impacted by bicycles. We even had a visit from Valley News reporter Jared Pendak who published an article back in January about our trip! Check it out here: Valley News Article

We are more than halfway to our fundraising goal of $10,000 thanks to the generosity of the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation, the White Mountain Wheel Women, and many friends and family. April will hopefully bring positive news of a NEA Foundation Grant. Please check out our gofundme page if you wish to donate. Rivendell’s Cycling Trip to Quebec City